POUNDCAKE

Directed By: Rafael Monserrate

Review By: Kim Jindra

There's nothing like going home for the holidays and discovering your parents are getting divorced.  That is the set up in the new, destined to be a classic, holiday comedy POUNDCAKE.

Carol (Kathleen Quinlan) has an epiphany one day in tap class - she and husband Cliff (Jay Sanders) no longer communicate.  So after 30 years of marriage she wants a divorce.  

Cliff and Carol spring the news on their three adult children between soup and egg rolls on Thanksgiving Eve at their favorite Chinese restaurant.    Their adult daughter is so stunned she stops speaking to her mother.  Her brothers' reaction is to momentarily stop their incessant bickering and one up-manship.

What follows is a muddle of family dynamics that rings true.  There are no villains in this film.  But I admit a weakness for poor Cliff.  He is so totally out of touch with his life, his wife and his kids.  Sanders brings a quiet vulnerability to Cliff which caused me to just want to hug him.  And Carol is just wants to be loved and noticed.   The kids have other issues altogether and these are just exacerbated by their parents break up.

I love the scenes where Cliff seeks romantic advice from his oldest son Robbie.  Robbie, local radio deejay and recent "dumpee", is certainly not the Love Doctor.   But the grocery store scene is priceless as are Cliff's attempts to process Robbie's advice.

I also enjoyed the way the family dynamic changes as the kids try to process their feelings for their parents and each other.  I empathized with everyone in the film probably because the characters and situations were so recognizable.  It is a 'slice of life' film, that like real pound cake, is not too sweet, but simply satisfying.